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OTTAWA—While there may be some debate about the significance of the rebooted World Cup of Hockey, there is none in the mind of Steven Stamkos.

“It’s huge,” said Stamkos, standing by a stall in a dressing room normally belonging to the Ottawa Senators but for now doubling as the home of Team Canada for its pre-tournament training camp. The tournament opens on Sept. 17.

“For me — maybe even a little more than some of the other guys that have been here — because I wasn’t able to play in Sochi with the broken leg. Anytime you get an opportunity, you don’t know when you’re going to get those opportunities again. With all the depth Canada has, your window is pretty limited when it comes to these things.”

Stamkos has been one of the elite players in the game since being drafted first overall in 2008, but his moments representing Canada have been limited; it always seems like something gets in his way.

In 2010, he was deemed too young at age 20 to join Team Canada’s entry at the Vancouver Olympics, even as a similarly aged Drew Doughty made the team. And in 2014 it was an unfortunate broken leg that kept him from competing despite rigorous rehab. That opened up a spot for then-Tampa Bay Lightning teammate Martin St. Louis to get the gold medal draped around his neck instead.

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And this past season injury sidelined Stamkos once again. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome — which required surgery to relieve nerve pain in his shoulders — kept him out most of the playoffs.

“I was extremely excited to get the call to be on this team,”’ he said, “then I thought, ‘Oh my here we go again with the injury at the end of the season.’ But I’m feeling great and I’m very excited to be with this group of guys.”

The good news is he’s off the blood thinners he needed during his recovery.

Stamkos has represented Canada previously; in 2008, he won gold on the national junior team. And in 2009, he was on the junior squad that took silver.

“Certainly he is someone we wanted on that Sochi team,” said Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong. “He worked very hard to try to get back. He just couldn’t do it. He is excited to be here, and we are excited to have him part of the group.

“He’s a dynamic player, a scoring threat. It is a great tournament for him to finally get to put the flag on.”

After rehabbing for four weeks straight, six hours a day but failing to be healthy enough to play for Canada at the 2014 Olympics, Stamkos took a vacation during that break and went to the Cayman Islands.

“There were a lot of Canadians there,” he said. “I just wanted to get away. I saw the gold-medal game but you obviously wish you were there with the guys.

“It was tough not being able to play on that team with all the hard work I put in to try to come back. So being in this tournament and being on this team is a little bit more special.”

Canada has 13 forwards at this tournament; Stamkos practised Monday on the one line that had four forwards. John Tavares was on left wing, Ryan Getzlaf was at centre while Stamkos and Corey Perry shared right wing.

Stamkos also took a turn on what looked to be Canada’s top power play unit with Getzlaf, Tavares, Sidney Crosby and Doughty.

Stamkos said his strongest Olympic memory is the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City where Canada ended a 50-year gold-medal drought.

Few believe this World Cup will equal an Olympics or a Stanley Cup in terms of importance. This event has more the look and feel of an NHL all-star tournament, with just about every player in the league participating thanks to two teams of all-stars along with six national teams.

Yet that seems to have an appeal for the players.

“You have all of the best talent from around the world in one tournament,” said Stamkos.

“You don’t have guys left out because their countries didn’t make it. You look at the North American team (23-and-under) and Team Europe that might not have had an opportunity to play in the tournament like this, so you really do have the majority of the best in the world playing in this tournament.

“I’m not sure you can say that in any other format that’s been played before, so that’s unique and special.”

“Winning the Stanley Cup is the dream of every kid,” said Team Canada coach Mike Babcock. “This World Cup is another best-on-best event and this is the one we’re playing so it’s the most important one.

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